For too many of us, detoxing is something we think about only in January, when we’re feeling bloated from eating too much over the holidays – and which we then promptly forget about again for much of the rest of the year. If we do consider detoxing at other times, our understanding of the options available to us is often limited to drinking more water and chowing down on green juices and smoothies for a set number of days. But there are countless other ways to build detoxing into your everyday routine – here are a few to try out.
Eat clean
Eating clean and simple, additive-free food might be on trend right now, but it’s come up in the awareness and popularity stakes for a reason. Opting for meals that you’ve put together yourself, or at the very least the provenance of which you can be sure about, has long had its benefits. In truth, there’s little point in hunting out nutritionally rich foodstuffs, or supplementing our diets with vitamins and minerals, if we’re inadvertently polluting our bodies with chemicals hidden in the things we consume every day.
That doesn’t mean everything has to be organic – while few of us would disagree that this is the ideal scenario, the reality is that the cost of buying lots of organic produce quickly adds up. Prioritize cooking as many of your own meals as you can, starting with raw ingredients rather than processed goods, so you can be certain what’s actually in them. Fill up on produce that makes the US-based Environmental Working Group’s list of 15 crops least likely to be pesticide-prone – favorites like avocados, sweet corn, pineapples, asparagus, mangos, kiwi, eggplant, cauliflower and sweet potatoes all make the grade.
And if you’re going to make some of your grocery shopping organic, save your splurge for items in the EWG’s Dirty Dozen of ingredients likely to contain chemicals, which includes apples, peaches, strawberries, cherry tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, potatoes, and those supposedly detox-friendly stalwarts spinach and kale.
Dry skin brush
When it comes to detoxing, getting impurities out of the body is just as important as stopping them from getting in to begin with. Giving yourself a daily massage by way of skin brushing is an underrated way of achieving this – after all, the skin is our body’s largest organ, and cleansing its surface helps it do a better job of secreting toxins.
Using a natural brush to dry-scrub the skin in long sweeping motions, always towards your heart, helps to remove dead cells from the body’s surface, unclogs pores and allows the skin to breathe more easily. For best results, brush once or twice daily; the best time to do this is just before you take a shower. You’ll feel the benefit of smoother, more purified skin in no time – and you can add to the pampering sensation by dabbing your body with coconut oil once you’ve showered.
Breathe deeply
Detoxing isn’t always about food or drink, or even so much about physical health; mental wellbeing plays a large part, too. And ensuring you’re in a good place mentally starts with keeping your breathing in check. Chances are you do far more short, shallow breathing than you realize – the majority of us are guilty of it – but taking the time to breathe deeply and calmly is important for giving your body the levels of oxygen it needs to function healthily, and is also a great way to beat stress.
Make sure you take time during the day – as well as first thing in the morning, when you wake up – to close your eyes, stretch your body and take a number of deep breaths. It’s a great opportunity to take stock of how you are feeling, and to connect with your mind and body. You’ll feel more relaxed, more in control, and ready to take on the next challenge life has in store for you – including staying on track with your detox.
True detox regimes involve doing your best to keep your mind and body in a healthy shape each and every day. Need our help to make that reality? Just give us a call.
